Name: Green Beans Aglio e Olio
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 lb frozen French green beans; 3 tbsp olive oil; 4 cloves garlic (sliced very thin); ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; pinch salt (to taste); ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley (chopped fine); ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

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I am a lover of vegetables. Not only are they nutrient dense, but their use in cooking is incredibly versatile. While I always have fresh produce on hand, I love keeping a selection in the freezer too. I made these Green Beans Aglio e Olio using frozen French green beans. And they turned out beautiful!

If you have not yet had Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, you are missing out. It’s a delicious pasta made using olive oil, fried garlic, chopped parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes. It is ridiculously good! I am an olive oil based pasta kind of gal. While pasta can be sometimes heavy, I wanted to play with this same flavor profile but on vegetables. In this case, that means green beans.

Ingredients

Green Beans: A stated above, I used frozen French green beans for this recipe. You can certainly used fresh, blanched, green beans to make this dish too. The resulting product may vary to the picture.
Olive Oil: You will want to use a good olive oil for this dish, as there is a large quantity of it. This means you are going to taste it in every bite. You want to avoid cheap, bitter olive oil for this dish.
Parsley: If you have not had the pasta, it involves a fair amount of freshly chopped parsley. It adds a nice addition of flavor, while also adding a beautiful color to the pasta dish. You may not notice the color as much due to the shared green color in the beans, but it adds a nice element to this dish.
Red Pepper Flakes: Only a small amount is required for this recipe, but a small amount packs a punch.
Garlic: The garlic needs to be sliced very thin. It is fried in the olive oil to a nice golden brown before it is tossed with the green beans.
Cheese: Freshly shaved Parmesan adds the finishing touch to this green bean dish. It is incorporated into the mixture as well as used as a garnish.
Lemon Juice: Not typical in the pasta dish of the same name, but I added a small amount of lemon juice to this recipe. It adds a nice acidic element when paired with the beans and brightens the whole thing up.

Cooking Procedure

The first thing you will want to do is prep your ingredients. This means thinly slicing your garlic and chopping your parsley. And if not already done, shredding your Parmesan cheese.

Next, it’s time to cook the green beans. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Place a tablespoon of oil into the pan. Add the green beans, carefully (remember they are frozen.) Cook until tender and cooked through. Make sure not to overcook them, we still want them to have some body so that they can support the olive oil sauce.

Remove the green beans from the pan and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Cover with foil to keep them warm.

Place the remaining oil into the skillet. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown. Keep a close eye so that the garlic does not burn. Add the chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.

Pour the garlic olive oil over the green beans and toss to coat. Season with a pinch of salt, to taste. Add parsley, lemon juice, if using, and a 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese. Place onto desired serving dish and garnish with the remaining Parmesan. Serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy these Green Beans Aglio e Olio as much as I did. They’re really good as a side to a protein, such as chicken or steak. The garlic flavor is addictive. That matched with the subtle heat from the red pepper flakes, your tastebuds will be signing. Comment below if you tried this dish!